Starting Sunday at Cincinnati, General Manager John Dorsey aims to round out conclusions on what is worth growing around them.

In terms of what he wants to see coming out of the bye, Dorsey said, "Emphasize winning. Continue to coach up players. Have players begin to develop.

"I like what I have seen (since the coaching change). I am excited to finish this thing out strong.”

With six games left, here are six positions that need to give Dorsey more to get excited about.

WIDE RECEIVER

Dorsey had already drafted Mayfield, Ward, Austin Corbett, Chubb and Chad Thomas when he got around to Antonio Callaway. The pick turned a few heads.

Maybe the off-field risk with first-round talent would turn into a steal at No. 105 overall.

Callaway looked golden in the preseason opener, gouging the Giants for 87 yards on three catches, one a 54-yard touchdown.

The buzz got bigger barely into the regular season. With 1:16 left at New Orleans in Game 2, Callaway's 47-yard score pulled the Browns into an 18-18 tie. That's quite a moment in retrospect, in light of the Saints hammering Cincinnati and Philadelphia 99-21 the last two Sundays.

Mayfield replaced Tyrod Taylor at quarterback midway through Game 3. The rookies did not agree with each other. Across Mayfield's first five appearances, Callaway was targeted 37 times and caught only 13 balls. The average gain per target was 3.2.

Mayfield-to-Callaway is on an uptick, though. Callaway has caught 10 of 13 balls thrown his way across the last three games, with an average gain of 9.1 yards per target.

Callaway has time to convince Dorsey he is worthy of including in plans to develop a wideout corps that can get Jarvis Landry in more favorable matchups.

Can Callaway develop Mayfield's trust?

LEFT TACKLE

Blind-side protectors are expensive, and the league has long been willing to pay the price.

Starting in 2007, when the Browns (Joe Thomas) and Cardinals (Levi Brown) spent top-five draft picks, 47 college tackles have gone in the first round. Most got a chance to be a left tackle in the NFL.

Dorsey is weighing whether he already cashed in from the bargain basement. Undrafted rookie Desmond Harrison's growing pains frequently were evident through his eight starts.

Greg Robinson didn't make it with the Rams as the top tackle drafted in 2014 (No. 2 overall). He drew conspicuous praise from Mayfield after his two recent starts.

RIGHT TACKLE

Last New Year's Eve, Chris Hubbard gave Pittsburgh 29 snaps at center against the Browns. In other parts of his 2017 with Pittsburgh, Hubbard played 43 downs at guard against the Chiefs and 41 downs as a blocking tight end against the Vikings. He got in eight full games at right tackle, the position at which Dorsey recruited him to play in Cleveland.

Hubbard was a Pittsburgh good utility man. Through 10 games in Cleveland, he has been at right tackle for all 723 offensive snaps. There have been rough patches.

The Atlanta game provided some clues as to why Dorsey approved a five-year, $36.5 million contract, but Hubbard must hold his ground now.

LINEBACKER

The Browns are 3-2-1 in games Joe Schobert has finished. At minimum, the ex-Wisconsin Badger is shaping up as a beauty of a Round 4 pick by a Sashi Browns regime that missed a few.

But what will the "quarterback of the defense" become as his career maxes out? Is Schobert worth big money or just nice money? Schobert's rookie contract doesn't expire until after the end of the 2019 season. Securing him for multiple years will be a big offseason consideration.

CORNERBACK

Doing the math in the spring made the pecking order obvious enough in terms of who would start opposite prized rookie Ward.

T.J. Carrie was signed away from the Raiders on a four-year, $31 million deal. Terrance Mitchell was pried away from the Chiefs for $9 million across three years.

But Mitchell beat out Carrie in the summer and was off to the races before breaking a wrist. As with the aforementioned Hubbard, Carrie showed signs against Atlanta of rounding into what Dorsey imagined.

Carrie's progress and Mitchell's play if he returns from his injury will weigh into the thinking about how to draft a corner.

DEFENSIVE LINE

A lot rides on whether Gregg Williams is back in charge of the defense next year. Williams sees a different game in terms of casting D-linemen in versatile roles.

Defensive tackle Trevon Coley fights hard and provides serviceable play. Defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has played more than 80 percent of the snaps across the last seven games. Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who had been playing about 90 percent of the downs, is beginning to get more rest as Williams develops backups to plug into a rotation.

The 2019 draft is supposed to be loaded with defensive linemen. If what is left of 2018 makes it clear the D-line needs another impact guy to go with Myles Garrett, Dorsey's wheels will be turning.

Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or

steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP

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